A Wild Child Garden in January

You may be wondering what in the world we could still be planting in January??  Well, I’m here to tell you the answer is, more than you think! In the Wild Child Garden we are always picking, planning, and PLANTING something! And that goes for the month of Janary too!  While our main focus for the month of January is starting seeds for our Spring garden,  you can learn more about our FREE Seed Starting ClassHERE, that doesn’t mean that we aren’t still planting this month!  Because we are! 

What we plant in January will look a little different than what we plant during other months of the Cool Season Garden.  The first thing I would recommend planting this month would be one last succession of leafy greens!  Spinach is a great thing to direct sow in the garden this month, as spinach really appreciates the cooler temperatures we will see this month.  As a matter of fact you may even start to see some of those spinach seeds you planted moths ago pop up!   And if you are looking for something quick to harvest, I would recommend radishes.  Pop those seeds in, give them a drink of water, and enjoy radishes 30 days later!  What a great vegetable for the January garden!  I can't talk about gardening in January without mentioning onions!  Onions are so much fun to grow, and this is the month to get them in the ground.  If you think onions might be something you would like to grow, be sure to check out our Growing Awesome Alliums course today!  It might just be one of my favorite courses in our library! 

If you have been hanging out with us for a while, you know that no Wild Child garden is complete with out flowers!  And while the month of January is not thought of as a month of flower planting there are plenty of cold hardy annuals that can be found at your local nursery!  Don't miss them!  They will really take your garden to the next level.  Violas, Pansies, Snapdragons, and Calendula are all perfect additions to the cool season garden! A lot of our Garden Club ladies choose to add Snapdragons to the garden this season, and they are not disappointed!  Did you see our post on social media about "snipping our snaps" earlier in the season??  If not you can find here and give it a try if you decide to add Snapdragons!  Don't stop yet though, because you can't talk about flowers to plant in January without talking about TULIPS!!!  Now, most gardeners in zone 8/9 will tell you that you are waisting your time planting tulips here, and in most cases I would agree with them.  However, if you have been following along for a while you know the secret!  If you have had your bulbs chilling in the fridge since around Thanksgiving this is month to get those babies in the ground!   If you have not had them chilling add them to your list for next year, and take our Winter Bulbs class to get ready!

Are you still not convinced that January is still a month for planting?  That's ok!  If you plant nothing else in the month of January find a heat tolerant variety of lettuce, I love Marvel of the Four Seasons for our spring, and even summer, garden!  You will thank me when you are enjoying fresh salad all the way to Easter!!  Did you know we even have a FREE course called Salad School that will walk you through exactly how to grow lettuce?  It can even be grown in a container on your porch!!  

Most of us think of January as a month of newness and reflection and it is!  But it is also a month of growth, so don't let January scare you away from continuing to grow in your garden!  The Wild Child Garden is the busy woman's garden, so sprinkle some seeds and watch them GREAUX!